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 Can You Hear Me Now?
  
Location: When you hit the middle of nowhere .. Keep driving | Does anyone else have a lead mare that's scared of another horse. My lead mare is a BULLY and will pick on every horse but one... the lowest on the totem pole. This girl gets picked on by everything and will move when a baby looks at her wrong.... I don't get it. I'm watching it from my window and the low one is getting pushed around by other horses and is 'chasing ' the lead mare. The lead mare is running away from her.  |
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 Toastest with the Mostest
Posts: 5712
 
Location: That part of Texas | I had this problem when I introduced a new paint gelding into the herd. The other dominant ones did not like him at all -- think the coloring or his blue eyes threw them for a loop or something -- but they did eventually settle in after a month or so of running from each other. |
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Can You Hear Me Now?
Location: When you hit the middle of nowhere .. Keep driving | It's weird. They have been together for almost year with no new ones introduced besides foals. The lowest Abby is a grey and that's the only difference. I would say it could have something to do with height (grey is 16.3) but my boss mare picks on my other tall guys 16 & 16.2 without a problem. Maybe it's the colour... |
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Meanest Teacher!!!
Posts: 8555
Location: sunny california | anybody pregnant. the pregnant mare is the boss  |
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Can You Hear Me Now?
Location: When you hit the middle of nowhere .. Keep driving | kwanatha - 2014-01-19 12:20 PM
anybody pregnant. the pregnant mare is the boss
They grey was but absorbed it. The only one that is isn't in the equation she's number 2 in command lol |
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| At my barn ... the two messing with each other would be the two at the bottom of the pecking order and one is trying to move up from being the bottom ....
The silent one that just walks over and nods their heads to make other horses move is the top dawg .... very rarely do you see these top dawgs do any chasing .... just gestures is enough ...
Also ... when in the pasture running and snorting and blowing and they all come to a stop.... notice which one everyone lines up behind and will not pass on by them ... the one standing a little in front of the rest is your top dawg ...
Too many "experts" have written books and articles saying .... When the new horse entered the pasture the lead mare came rushing at the new horse .. blah blah blah ........................... It is completely the opposite .... the horse on the bottom of the pecking order turns into a tiger and rushes up to challenge the new horse to put it as the bottom horse in the group ...
Especially in groups of mares ... you will find a couple of mares that just do not like each other and will harass each other all the time .... as an owner you have to decide if they are being too aggressive towards each other and upsetting the overall group that could cause abortions and promptly get rid of the one that is the constant aggressor ...
The overly aggressive mares I have sold...... (with that warning to the buyer) .... the buyer has come back and said they fit right into their group of mares without any problems at all ... We have laughed and decided it was just part of the female brain to dislike certain others for no reason at all ....
Edited by BARRELHORSE USA 2014-01-19 1:00 PM
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Meanest Teacher!!!
Posts: 8555
Location: sunny california | BARRELHORSE USA - 2014-01-19 10:57 AM At my barn ... the two messing with each other would be the two at the bottom of the pecking order and one is trying to move up from being the bottom .... The silent one that just walks over and nods their heads to make other horses move is the top dawg .... very rarely do you see these top dawgs do any chasing .... just gestures is enough ... Also ... when in the pasture running and snorting and blowing and they all come to a stop.... notice which one everyone lines up behind and will not pass on by them ... the one standing a little in front of the rest is your top dawg ... Too many "experts" have written books and articles saying .... When the new horse entered the pasture the lead mare came rushing at the new horse .. blah blah blah ........................... It is completely the opposite .... the horse on the bottom of the pecking order turns into a tiger and rushes up to challenge the new horse to put it as the bottom horse in the group ... Especially in groups of mares ... you will find a couple of mares that just do not like each other and will harass each other all the time .... as an owner you have to decide if they are being too aggressive towards each other and upsetting the overall group that could cause abortions and promptly get rid of the one that is the constant aggressor ... The overly aggressive mares I have sold...... (with that warning to the buyer) .... the buyer has come back and said they fit right into their group of mares without any problems at all ... We have laughed and decided it was just part of the female brain to dislike certain others for no reason at all ....
i have seen a lot of that dynamic but i have seen sometimes it is a little different. my mom has a mixed herd with geldings and mares. the top of the list is the big gelding.
when i brought my agressive alpha mare over the second she was turned out the gelding ran to her and kicked her so hard I thought he broke her leg. he was a very strong leader and there was not much scaubling going on. he didn't tolerate much. later that mare became lead mare and would discipline other horses for just pinning ears at meal time. they would have to go eat with the cows for a week then she would let them back in.
Her son inherited the thrown when the big gelding passed. it was interesting to watch him groom the colt for his place in the herd. he is a very gentle yet strong leader and eats last after his herd has a pile and lets the weakest eat with him so they do not get harrassed. |
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 To the Left
Posts: 1865
Location: Florida | You have just got to let them work it out. There will be one dominant and usually a bodyguard and the rest follow. Power plays happen, but stay out of it, it will work out. |
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Expert
Posts: 1586
Location: west of East Texas | My mares don't have a 'totem pole', they have more a 'quilting circle'. Size doesn't matter, age doesn't matter. 'A' is the original and the biggest but gets picked on by everybody, even the mini. B runs scared from C but pretty much ignores D and E. D was heading up the ladder over everyone but C (I had a couple more then) until E came in a few months ago. Now E is challenging C but runs from B. The mini ignores everyone and does what she darn well pleases, regardless of rank. And then the one, decrepit, old gelding likes to think he has them all under control. I watch the challenges often and laugh at which one gets to stand at the gate at feeding time. Drink a couple margaritas and follow that..... |
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 Cute Little Imp
Posts: 2747
Location: N Texas | I have an old gelding that used to be at the bottom of the pecking order, but as he's gotten older and grouchier, he's moved to the top. NO ONE can touch his food (no horse, that is)!
We used to have llamas that were pastured with the horses and the horse that was top boss would let one of the llamas run him off. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2457
| BARRELHORSE USA - 2014-01-19 12:57 PM At my barn ... the two messing with each other would be the two at the bottom of the pecking order and one is trying to move up from being the bottom .... The silent one that just walks over and nods their heads to make other horses move is the top dawg .... very rarely do you see these top dawgs do any chasing .... just gestures is enough ... Also ... when in the pasture running and snorting and blowing and they all come to a stop.... notice which one everyone lines up behind and will not pass on by them ... the one standing a little in front of the rest is your top dawg ... Too many "experts" have written books and articles saying .... When the new horse entered the pasture the lead mare came rushing at the new horse .. blah blah blah ........................... It is completely the opposite .... the horse on the bottom of the pecking order turns into a tiger and rushes up to challenge the new horse to put it as the bottom horse in the group ... Especially in groups of mares ... you will find a couple of mares that just do not like each other and will harass each other all the time .... as an owner you have to decide if they are being too aggressive towards each other and upsetting the overall group that could cause abortions and promptly get rid of the one that is the constant aggressor ... The overly aggressive mares I have sold...... (with that warning to the buyer) .... the buyer has come back and said they fit right into their group of mares without any problems at all ... We have laughed and decided it was just part of the female brain to dislike certain others for no reason at all ....
YES!! This is spot on. The horses at the bottom are trying to move up in dominance and you'll see them as the aggressive individuals more often than not. The older individuals that just pin the ears and everyone moves are the top of the pecking order most often. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2258
| I have 6 broodmare that have been together since July maybe. Two of the mares are mother/daughter so they have been together for 5 yrs, the other I have had for 3 yrs and 3 I bought in May. The oldest mare was a quiet boss and no one really bothered her but 2yrs ago her mother died and she became a totally different horse now everyone runs her and she is fearfully of them all except her daughter. I finally had to move two of the newer mares because they just wouldn't leave her and her daughter alone and feeding was turning into a dangerous deal for everyone. So I took the two aggressive mares out to a new pasture and they cried all night about being moved and the other 4 seem really relived and never answered back. I get a kick out of watching them sometimes and usually just let them figure it out but they are all mommas due in just a couple months so didn't want anyone getting hurt. |
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